21 replies to this topic

[Ulb]

File Name: The Bear Walker - a Werebear / Ranger Kit
File Submitter: Ulb
File Submitted: 26 Mar 2013
File Category: Miscellaneous Released Mods

Available Languages: English, German
Mod Forum: Here
 
 
 

The Bear Walker - a Werebear / Ranger Kit
for BG2: ToB / BGT / TuTu / (SoA) / BGEE / SoD / BG2EE / EET
 
 

The Bear Walker (click here to download) is a werebear kit for the ranger class and should be compatible with all other WeiDU mods out there.
 
NOTE: This mod should be installed with the Infinity Animations - Core Mod, to run at it's full potential.
 
For a more detailed overview, including information regarding compatibility and installation, please check out the readme!
 
Full in-game kit description:
 

Spoiler

BEAR WALKER: Their love for nature and a fierce devotion to protect home and family are principles shared by rangers and werebears alike. It is therefore not much of a surprise that some werebears choose the path of a ranger.
Such a ranger is commonly referred to as a Bear Walker.
Bear Walkers train their skills as a ranger but also develop their ability to shapeshift into werebear form.

Since Bear Walkers focus on their shapeshifting abilities they are less proficient with weapons and armor than other rangers.

Advantages:
-  At level 1 gains the ability to shapeshift into a werebear.
-  Werebear form improves as the ranger advances in levels.

Disadvantages:
-  May only become proficient (one star) with melee weapons.
-  Cannot wear armor greater than studded leather.

Werebear Form:
 Immunity to polymorph and push-back effects.

 Level  1:
-  HP +15% / STR +1 / CON +1 / PHYSICAL, COLD, MAGIC RESIST 15% / Regenerates 1 HP every two rounds.
-  Transformation lasts one minute.
-  Character is berserking while shapeshifted (total loss of character control while in combat).
-  Claws are considered to be of +2 enchantment and deal 2d4+2 slashing damage.
-  50% chance on hit to knock opponents down unless they save vs. breath weapon.

 Level  6:
-  HP +30% / STR +1 / CON +2 / PHYSICAL, COLD, MAGIC RESIST  30% / Regenerates 1 HP every round.
-  Transformation lasts until canceled.
-  Partial ability to talk and cast spells (75% casting failure - does not affect innate abilites).
-  Berserking if character's HP drop below 50%.
-  Claws are considered to be of +3 enchantment and deal 3d4+3 slashing damage.
-  50% chance on hit to knock opponents down unless they save vs. breath weapon.

 Level 12:
-  HP +45% / STR +2 / CON +4 / PHYSICAL, COLD, MAGIC RESIST  45% / Regenerates 1 HP every 3 seconds.
-  Transformation lasts until canceled.
-  Partial ability to talk and cast spells (50% casting failure - does not affect innate abilites).
-  Berserking if character's HP drop below 25%.
-  Claws are considered to be of +4 enchantment and deal 4d4+4 slashing damage.
-  50% chance on hit to knock opponents down unless they save vs. breath weapon.

 Level 18:
-  HP +60% / STR +2 / CON +4 / PHYSICAL, COLD, MAGIC RESIST  60% / Regenerates 1 HP every second.
-  Transformation lasts until canceled.
-  Partial ability to talk and cast spells (25% casting failure - does not affect innate abilites)
-  Berserking if character's HP drop below 10%.
-  Claws are considered to be of +5 enchantment and deal 5d4+5 slashing damage.
-  50% chance on hit to knock opponents down unless they save vs. breath weapon (-4 ).

 
Many Thanks to:
 
- ShS User Argent77 for diagnosing a bug involving ShadowKeeper and offering a solution to it.
- ShS Form Users 'Eric P.' and 'Gast' (who really should register ..) for proofreading.
- The Spellhold Studios, it's forum community and the people that keep it up and running.
- CamDawg for his Kit Creation Guide.
- The makers and maintainers of:
            - WeiDU: Westley Weimer & Valerio Bigiani (The Bigg)
            - NearInfinity: Jon Olav Hauglid
            - Infinity Animations: Erephine & Miloch
            - TobEx: Ascension64
            - all the other awesome BG2 mods.
 

Click here to download this file

[Eric P.]

Very disappointed that there's no way to use the kit without IA

[Ulb]

You've got to face it Eric, everyone hates Mac users....

 

I'm a bit busy right now, since I've got an exam tomorrow and didn't even look at half the papers yet, but when there is time, I'll look into it.

 

It is actually pretty easy to fix, all it needs is a different .cre file but I'll have to look into Weidu coding to find a nice and elegant way to offer an alternate install option for none IA users.

If you were really desperate to play a werebear right now, all you had to do was, to edit the werebear cre file (UBbear02.CRE) and change the animation to something else.

 

Btw, which vanilla animation would you suggest? Obviously a bear wouldn't be a bad idea, thought I'd rather have something humanoid. (Are bugbears vanilla animations?)

 

*edit* did a quick test, apparently you also have to edit the polymorph effect in each claw.itm. (From polymorph into: unknown, to what every animation you have set in the .cre file)

Edited by Ulb, 26 March 2013 - 11:49 AM.

[Almateria]

Can't you include the infinity animations in the installer?

[Ulb]

What do you mean by 'the infinity animations'; the whole infinity core mod or just the werebear animation?

 

For obvious reasons, I cannot include the Infinity animations core mod in my install. (It is an independent mod on it's own, and a far better, more sophisticated and useful one, as I might add. )

 

As for the bear animation, I could do that, but then you would still have to get the IA core mod, so it wouldn't help that much.

However, if people actually would prefer not having to download the bear animations mod separately, I will include the animations in the next version.

 

With that said, I think Eric's problem isn't having to download IA separately, butthe fact, that IA doesn't work for Mac users...

[Jarno Mikkola]

With that said, I think Eric's problem isn't having to download IA separately, butthe fact, that IA doesn't work for Mac users...

Exactly, as the InfAnim works by patching the BGMain.exe, and as Mac doesn't use .exe's...

But you could overwrite one of the animations on a separate component and thus provide the animation(if the animation types match of course), or you could just make the spell use the normal bear animation in the alternative component also(by overwriting the spell file). And thus provide ~"Mac compatibility".

Edited by Jarno Mikkola, 26 March 2013 - 02:34 PM.

[Ulb]

Exactly, as the InfAnim works by patching the BGMain.exe, and as Mac doesn't use .exe's...

But you could overwrite one of the animations on a separate component and thus provide the animation(if the animation types match of course), or you could just make the spell use the normal bear animation in the alternative component also(by overwriting the spell file). And thus provide ~"Mac compatibility".

 

Just curious, does that mean Mac users can't use TobEx either? If that is true, they'll also have a problem with dispel magic.

 

As for the animation, I think using the vanilla brown bear animation will do.

Edited by Ulb, 26 March 2013 - 09:27 PM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Just curious, does that mean Mac users can't use TobEx either?

Yep:

This utility will only work with Throne of Bhaal version 26498. The utility will not work on Macintosh systems.

I would suggest to ask Eric P. on how he would like to handle the dispel problem on Mac...

[Ulb]

Well, version 1.1 is out now and unless I screwed something up big time, there should now be an alternate, mac-friendly install-option.

I also included the werebear animation, so people won't have to download it separately anymore.

As for the dispel problem, I guess its not that much of a deal if you live in a Mac world.

After all, you never even had the chance to get used to not getting dispelled in shapeshift forms...

[Almateria]

Who cares about the Mackers anyway?

[Eric P.]

Exactly, as the InfAnim works by patching the BGMain.exe, and as Mac doesn't use .exe's...

But you could overwrite one of the animations on a separate component and thus provide the animation(if the animation types match of course), or you could just make the spell use the normal bear animation in the alternative component also(by overwriting the spell file). And thus provide ~"Mac compatibility".

 

Just curious, does that mean Mac users can't use TobEx either? If that is true, they'll also have a problem with dispel magic.

 

As for the animation, I think using the vanilla brown bear animation will do.

Correct: Mac can't use TobEx.

[Eric P.]

Who cares about the Mackers anyway?

Thanks for the love.

[Eric P.]

Just curious, does that mean Mac users can't use TobEx either?

Yep:

This utility will only work with Throne of Bhaal version 26498. The utility will not work on Macintosh systems.

I would suggest to ask Eric P. on how he would like to handle the dispel problem on Mac...

What is the problem with Dispel Magic?

[Ulb]

Well, without ToBEx, there is (as far as I know) no way to prevent the 'dispel magic' effect from dispelling weapons, that were created via the 'createweapon' opcode, even if you 'flag' the whole spell effect as a 'none magical ability'.

 

For obvious reasons, this is really a problem if your character can cast that transformation spell like once a day and gets instantly dispelled, even thought it is supposed to be a special instead of a spell-like ability.

 

It is a little bit less of a problem for the Bear Walker, since the 'Shapeshifts: Werebear' spell has unlimited uses.

 

(But you'll still have to cast 'Shapeshifts: Natural Form' to get the 'Shapeshifts: Werebear' spell back and than re-cast that one. Pretty time consuming all in all...)

[Ulb]

Hey there and sorry for the delayed answer, I've been gone for a while.

 

I have not concerned myself with the enhanced edition yet, so I am not entirely sure.

However, my best guess is no it's not compatible (yet).

 

I'll try to get more familiar with the EEs and might then update my mods to accommodate for any required changes.

[Xeno426]

I've tried using the latest version (3.0) in BG1EE using The BIG World Setup, and while I can transform fine, I cannot transform back. The transform back to human ability isn't granted, and manually giving my character that ability with EEKeeper doesn't help either because the ability does nothing.

[GrimLefourbe]

It works for me, the kit is overpowered though.

[Ulb]

I've tried using the latest version (3.0) in BG1EE using The BIG World Setup, and while I can transform fine, I cannot transform back. The transform back to human ability isn't granted, and manually giving my character that ability with EEKeeper doesn't help either because the ability does nothing.

 

Hm, for the first few levels the ability will transform you for one turn (60 sec) and then automatically turn you back into human form. Starting at level 6 you'll achieve more control over your were form and be able to switch between human and werebear at will.

 

 

It works for me, the kit is overpowered though.

 

That might be true. The kit felt quite underwhelming the last time I played it so I buffed it quite a bit. Haven't gotten around to do another run with the new stats.

If you have more detailed feedback on the powerlevel I'd be glad to hear it.

[GrimLefourbe]

My werebear character ended up way too hard to kill, I literally could let him 1 on 1 Saladrex in melee with the HLAs (whirlwind is strong when you have low base apr like the werebear).

 

While the whirlwind HLA brings a huge dps, I felt like my werebear was already too hard to kill with over 300 hp and resistances to physical damage going up to 80% under armor of faith, combined with the regen.

 

For the dps, I'd suggest lowering the claw damage but buffing the apr to keep the normal dmg output but diminishing the synergy with apr boosts. On the tanking side, I think getting lowering drastically the resistances or preventing the stack of other resistances.

 

I think the werebear form could be more like Wilson with claws in the main hand and bite in the offhand so the werebear can't use the benefits of a shield while being transformed as well, this would help with the apr too.

 

It was pretty fun though, it's definitely a good kit idea imo.